Evidence from lesion, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging studies support the hypothesis that the hippocampus and dorsal striatum process afferent inputs in such a way that each structure regulates expression of different behaviors in learning and memory. The present study sought to determine whether rats explicitly trained to perform one of two different learning strategies, spatial or resp...

In adult rodent and monkey brains, newly born neurons in the subventricular zone (SVZ) in the wall of the lateral ventricle migrate into the olfactory bulb (OB) via the rostral migratory stream (RMS). A recent study reported that interneurons are constantly generating in the adult human striatum from the SVZ. In contrast, by taking advantage of the continuous expression of Sp8 from the neurobla...

Adaptive behavior depends on the ability to flexibly alter our choices in response to changes in reward and punishment contingencies. One brain region frequently implicated in such behavior is the striatum. However, this region is functionally diverse and there are a number of apparent inconsistencies across previous studies. For instance, how can significant BOLD responses in the ventral stria...

The present study examined whether unilateral stimulation of acetylcholine or dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens induces an asymmetry in dopamine transmission in the ventrolateral striatum. For this purpose, a microdialysis technique was used to measure dopamine release in both sides of the ventrolateral striatum following unilateral injections of carbachol (5 micrograms/0.5 microliter...

The striatum has been identified as a new target for therapeutic deep brain stimulation in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The nonhuman primate model offers opportunities for detailed mapping of the behavioral effects of stimulation within the striatum. We recently showed that dysfunction in the dorsal and ventral striatum was able to produce a specific pattern of abnor...

In order to clarify the mechanism underlying the anti-obesity effects of sibutramine, we examined the effects of sibutramine on extracellular levels of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) through microdialysis in the striatum in unanesthetized and freely moving rats. Sibutramine (5 mg/kg, oral administration (p.o.)) increased extracellular dopamine and 5-HT levels in rat striatum. The tricy...

The dorsal striatum plays a role in consummatory food reward, and striatal dopamine receptors are reduced in obese individuals, relative to lean individuals, which suggests that the striatum and dopaminergic signaling in the striatum may contribute to the development of obesity. Thus, we tested whether striatal activation in response to food intake is related to current and future increases in ...

Corynebacterium striatum is a commonly isolated contaminant in the clinical microbiology. However, it can be an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised and even immunocompetent hosts. The increasing prevalence of C. striatum infection has been associated with immunosuppression and prosthetic devices. We report a case of meningitis with cerebrospinal fluid drainage and a case of catheter-rel...

High-frequency activation of excitatory striatal synapses produces lasting changes in synaptic efficacy that may contribute to motor and cognitive functions. While some of the mechanisms responsible for the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory synaptic responses at striatal synapses have been characterized, much less is known about the factors t...

The anterior cingulate and orbital cortices and the ventral striatum process different aspects of reward evaluation, whereas the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the dorsal striatum are involved in cognitive function. Collectively, these areas are critical to decision making. We mapped the striatal area that receives information about reward evaluation. We also explored the extent to which te...